via Blue Ridge Parkway, Delaware River roads, and other country
lanes.

By Lynn McKamey (ScubaMom)

In October 1997, with hopes of seeing lots of colorful fall foliage,
my husband Kenneth and I took a "country roads" driving trip from Nashville,
Tennessee to Boston, Massachusetts. We love to stay at small inns or B
& Bs which serve dinner as well as breakfast, and prefer quiet scenic
roads instead of busy, congested freeways.

Usually, when planning a trip, I go to the local bookstore and purchase
lots of travel and accommodation guides, however this time, I did all my
planning with a computer, the internet, and Microsoft’s Automap Road Atlas
(trip planning and mapping made easy). After doing a net search on "fall
foliage", I found several web sites suggesting the best time to see the
changing leaves at peak - the URLs change year to year, but do an internet
search on +fall +foliage and you should find current ones. A good
one for 2000 is at Intellicast.

Since we planned to take scenic country roads and avoid busy, crowded
interstates as much as possible, I set the map program accordingly to calculate
the suggested route, distance, and length of travel each day. Country roads
take much longer than highways, so we planned to drive about 300 miles
and 5-7 hours daily, or 4 1/2 days for the trip.

NASHVILLE and the OPRYLAND HOTEL

We flew from our home in Corpus Christi Texas to Nashville and spent
the afternoon and night at the Opryland Hotel - a huge complex of rooms,
shops, and restaurants surrounding three "indoor" gardens which create
botanical wonderlands and combinations of rare tropical and subtropical
plant species. Using controlled temperatures, a complex watering system,
and unique horticultural methods,
the landscape department maintains a tropical 2 acre garden in the Conservatory,
a 3 acre palm forest and 40’ waterfall edged with a profusion of exotic
plants in the Cascade area, and a 4 acre southern river setting in the
Delta section. One can walk along a trickling stream and winding path through
tropical splendor in the Cascades and have no idea that they are within
a huge hotel complex! Some of the unique varieties of Rhapis
excelsa (Lady Palms) which I grow in South Texas are in the Opryland
gardens, making it one of the largest worldwide displays of these rarities.
While the Opryland Hotel is not considered an official "botanical garden",
one would have to visit Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami and the subtropical
Huntington Botanical Garden in California to see some of the same plants
growing side by side in Opryland’s hotel gardens.

The rooms are spacious and elegantly furnished, many with windows or
balconies overlooking the gardens. An interesting array of restaurants
offer steaks, seafood buffets, southern home cooking, and New Orleans style
cuisine. For more information, call (615) 889-1000 or visit the Opryland
web site

NASHVILLE, TN TO ASHEVILLE, NC

We left the Opryland Hotel at 9 am and headed west on Interstate I40.
The map program suggested that we exit Alexandria on US321, turn on US411
to Maryville, then back to US321 to Gatlinburg to reach the Smokie Mountain
National Park. However, I thought we might save some time by staying on
I40 and turning on the four-lane Route 66 and 441 to Sevierville and Pidgen
Forge ... I was seriously mistaken! Long before we reached Sevierville,
the highway was filled with congested bumper to bumper traffic and we inched
our way through the 20 mile stretch from I40 to Gatlinburg taking almost
an hour and a half to accomplish this! Pidgen Forge, home of Dolly Parton
(the country and western singer) is an endless series of carnival-like
sideshows lining the road! Can you spell T-O-U-R-I-S-T T-R-A-P? If you
can’t, you will by the time you crawl your way along and view each and
every one of them! We were starving for some lunch, but didn’t dare pull
off the highway lest we never fight our way back into the congo line of
cars and trucks.

Finally we inched our way into Gatlinburg which I thought was a quiet
little get-a-way village nestled into the side of the Great Smokies; not
so, the road was mobbed with tourists, lined with endless motels and cabins,
plus tourist shops of every kind and flavor.

I had visions of crawling our way through the mountains behind a caravan
of cars, but as we reached the National Park, the traffic eased (some turned
east on US321 to escape the masses), and finally we could speed up to 30
m.p.h. without constant traffic congestion stops.

The drive was quite pretty and fall foliage was just turning color.
The traffic started backing up again before we reached Cherokee, so we
turned east on the Blue Ridge Parkway and headed for Asheville, NC. We
were amazed to see colorful wildflowers along the road and throughout the
city.

The 285 miles betweem Nashville and Asheville took us from 9 am
to 4 p.m. with only one quick stop in the Park ...7 long hours!

RICHMOND HILL INN - ASHEVILLE

The Richmond Hill Inn and its restaurant Gabrille’s was highly recommended
as a romantic "get-away" for gourmets by several members of CompuServe’s
Travel Forum. It certainly was! The Inn features Victorian elegance - rooms
are in the historical mansion, the nearby Garden rooms complex, and cottages.
We stayed in one of the delightful cottages with porches overlooking a
croquet court. As the sun set, we sat on our porch in rocking chairs, sipped
a before dinner drink, and enjoyed viewing the colorful fall foliage and
flowering gardens of the grounds.

Gabrielle’s proved to be one of the best restaurants we’ve ever had
the pleasure to visit. My tenderloin steak was superb as was Kenneth’s
salmon. Piano music played by Christopher Leonard drifted in the background
as each course was gracefully presented. They rate a 10 in my gourmet book,
and had service to match. Don’t miss dining or staying at the Richmond
Hill Inn. Call (704) 252-7313 for more information, or visit their
web site at www.richmondhillinn.com

ASHEVILLE, NC to STEELES TAVERN, VA

via the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

We left the inn at 9 a.m. and climbed out of Asheville on the steep,
scenic Town Mountain Road 694 to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Asheville is at mile 380 (going backwards to mile 0 at the Shenandoah
National Park). The well built and solidly paved two-lane road has a maximum
speed limit of 45, however, we traveled the first section much slower since
the road had NO straight stretches and was a series of curves and turns
winding its way around steep mountainsides, sheer cliffs, and through short
tunnels.

At mile 374, a puff of "smoke" passed across the road and I immediately
thought a forest fire might have started -- it cleared until we rounded
the next bend and were suddenly engulfed in "fog"... no, it was really
"clouds", but actually, it was more like "smoke" - no wonder this is called
the "Great Smokie Mountains"! We stopped at the Craggy Gardens Visitor
Center at 5500’ and found it very cold and breezy. Driving on through the
"smoky fog", we finally reached some clear spots and experienced incredible
vistas overlooking lower mountains in the distance all ringed and edged
with more "smoke". I wish we’d stopped for a picture of the unforgettable
view!

We reached mile 332 at Lynn Gap at 10:20 a.m. - 48 miles in 80 minutes
and the sun started coming out. As we continued along the ridge road, the
terrain changed from craggy mountainsides to deep valleys and steep hillsides
north of Blowing Rock. Then the road passed through lovely rolling hillsides
near Mount Airy and Rocky Knob.

NOTE: If you plan to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, don’t expect to find
places to eat, gas stations, or numerous rest room facilities. Pack a picnic
lunch before you start and enjoy it along the way. There is very few visitor
centers which are the only places to offer public restrooms so don’t pass
one up thinking there will be another only a short way down the road! The
good news is that there are NO towns to go through and NO trucks on the
Blue Ridge, just other travelers like you in cars and motorhomes. Happily,
the road DOES have numerous "overlooks" for slow traffic to pull off and
allow other motorists to pass... and it’s well worth stopping to look over
the "overlooks" to see the outstanding vistas and panoramic views.

We reached mile 180 at 2:00 p.m. and were 60 miles south of Roanoke,
Virginia. We’d driven 200 miles in 5 hours with an average speed of 40
mph.

Nearing Roanoke, we were treated to a gorgeous view of the valley and
town - one of the prettiest sections of the trip - and finally passed mile
100 at 3:00 pm. We had 70 more miles of Parkway to reach our evening destination
and I was afraid it would take us 2 more hours, so we exited at mile 90
to Buchanan and I81 and traveled down a delightful narrow rolly-coaster
of a lane called Route 43. We made good time on Interstate 81, however,
were slightly "shocked" at being back in "civilization" with bumper to
bumper traffic and monstrous trucks!

We arrived at Steeles Tavern, VA midway between Lexington and Staunton
slightly after 4:00 pm.

STEELES TAVERN MANOR

This delightful Bed and Breakfast (with dinner by advanced reservation)
is just a mile or so off busy I81 in Steeles Tavern, VA and only a few
miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It features five large rooms, three
with Jacuzzi tubs, and overlooks a peaceful meadow and pond. Visitors are
welcome to wander down to a stream and walk through the woods or drop a
string in the water to fish. We found it a wonderful place to unwind after
a long day of driving.

The owners, Eileen and Bill Hoernlein, restored this historical home
in 1994 and offer warm hospitality and excellent food service. A five course
dinner is available to guests each Saturday night and features an appetizer,
fresh bread, soup, salad, entree, dessert, coffee and tea at $75 for two.
If requested, a three course dinner is available to guests Sunday through
Friday at $50 for two. Complementary white Zinfandel is served with dinner.
We enjoyed Eileen’s excellent mushroom soup, Cornish hen, fresh salmon,
and apple crumb dessert, PLUS her wonderful pecan and honey bread (which
I was delighted to also find at breakfast the next morning).

Guests are treated to a wine & snack basket, a full breakfast in
their room or the dining room, and afternoon tea. Room rates are $105 to
$135. For more information call 1-800-743-8666, (540) 377-6444, FAX (540)
377-5937.

STEELES TAVERN, VA to LANCASTER COUNTY, PA.

As usual, we left at 9:00 am, but were unsure about which "country road"
to take to Pennsylvania. We had almost 300 miles to drive and thought the
Parkway might take too long; Eileen had suggested Route 11 as being very
scenic; our Map Program suggested US340. We decided to try US340 to Frederick,
Maryland and were not disappointed. The route follows alongside the Blue
Ridge and Shenandoah National Park. The section between Front Royal and
White Post was particularly pretty with large meadows and woodlands trees
lining both sides of the road. The fall colors were intensifying and becoming
more beautiful as we meandered along.

We reached Harpers Ferry at 12:30 p.m. and at Frederick, took US15 to
Gettysburg - a nice four lane highway with gorgeous hills and colorful
trees. US 30 to York and Lancaster was full of traffic and small towns...
we somehow got off the main highway and drove through the middle of Lancaster
city - a major mistake! Those wanting to see Amish horses and buggies had
best take country roads around the city and head for Bird-in-hand and Intercourse.

At 3:00, we reached Ephrata, 12 miles from Lancaster to settle in for
the evening.

THE INNS AT DONECKERS - EPHRATA, PA

I had a hard time finding the "perfect" inn in Lancaster County - most
seemed to offer a "farm" atmosphere and we being farmers live in that environment.
The Inns at Doneckers appeared to be an interesting small town alternative
and we found our stay there quite delightful.

Ephrata has a main street lined with all kinds of nice shops and restaurants;
the Doneckers Inn complex is down a side street and consists of a restaurant,
an elegant fashion store, a center full of Artworks, plus the main "Guesthouse"
with 20 rooms and suites, The Gerhart House with 5 rooms, and the Homestead
with 4 rooms. In addition, the 1777 House is on Main Street with 10 rooms
and 2 carriage house suites. Guests could easily spend a day browsing through
the shops and enjoying the cozy community environment.

We stayed in the Guesthouse and had a large bedroom with a private entry,
sitting area, fireplace, and spacious bathroom holding a huge two person
Jacuzzi. A second entry led to a TV room and garden room with coffee and
tea.

The restaurant offers casual dining with a huge array of selections,
and also has a fine dining section which served us an excellent dinner.

Room rates are from $69 to $185 and include a continental breakfast
for two. For more information, call (717) 738-9502, FAX (717) 738-9502
or visit their extensive web site at www.doneckers.com

LANCASTER COUNTY TO THE BERKSHIRES

the "river roads" route

We left at 9 am and took US 222 around Reading to Allentown, then Interstate
78 to Easton on the Delaware River. Route 611 and US209 follows the river
basin through charming towns and tranquil country sides, providing one
of the loveliest drives in this area. Fall foliage was spectacular and
at full peak. We drove the Delaware River Road about 8 years ago and it
was as pretty then as now - highly recommend route for those who love scenic
country roads.

We reached Port Jervis at 12:30 pm and took I84 across New York to Route
9 which follows the Hudson River northward. Near Catskill, we turned eastward
on 23 to reach Great Barrington.

THORNEWOOD INN & SPENSERS RESTAURANT

in GREAT BARRINGTON, MA

Just a few miles north of Great Barrington and south of Stockbridge
sits the Thornewood Inn, a warm and comfortable inn overlooking a pool,
hillside of foliage and woods, and nearby hiking trails. David and Terry
Thorne have spent 17 years developing and enlarging a humble B & B
into one of the most outstanding country inns in the area. Guests are treated
to spacious rooms, some with a fireplace, lovely living rooms, porches
with chairs, and the outstanding dining room which features live dinner
music and a Sunday Jazz Brunch performed by house musician David as well
as special guest artists.

Dinner was exquisite - I was particularly fond of the grilled Portobello
mushroom topped with sweet onions, brie, and a roasted garlic herb butter.
The Caesar Salad was perfect as was the duck entree for Kenny and the beef
tenderloin for me.

For more information, call (413) 528-3828, (800) 854-1008 or visit their
website at www.thornewood.com

BERKSHIRES TO BOSTON via ROUTE 2

At the Thornewood Inn, David suggested that we drive northward on Route
7 to Williamstown, then take Route 2 across the north part of Massachusetts
to Boston - about a 3 1/2 hour trip. This proved to be a wonderful way
to see fall foliage and outstanding vistas! One of the most spectacular
sections was just east of North Adams where the road makes hairpin turns
and climbs around Hawks Mountain.

We "braced" ourselves as we neared Boston, expecting the usual clutter
of jammed traffic and bumper to bumper snarls that we’d experienced a few
years earlier when approaching on Interstate highways from the west and
south... however, Route 2 quietly ambled right into Cambridge without hardly
a traffic jam and we did fine until becoming slightly lost looking for
Massachusetts Avenue where the car was to be dropped off at National Car
Rental. We choose this location to avoid having to drive through downtown
Boston and fight our way to the airport rental car center.

As expected, once in Cambridge and Boston proper, traffic was horrible
and we could hardly wait to turn in the car and start using Boston’s excellent
bus and "T" (subway) system to get around. I see no reason for anyone to
have a car when visiting Boston and staying somewhere in the center of
the city.

THE ELIOT HOTEL - BOSTON

We stayed at the Eliot Hotel in 1992 when our youngest daughter was
at Boston University and returned this time since our oldest daughter is
now doing graduate work at Harvard. The Eliot is in a perfect location
at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue - 1/2 block
from city bus #1 which goes to Harvard Square, 1 block from the "T" subway
which goes to B.U. and in the opposite direction to Government Center near
Faneuil Hall, plus the hotel is at the edge of the delightful Back Bay
area with lots of shops and restaurants. The picture below shows a view
of Commonwealth Avenue with the Eliot at the end of the sidewalk.

The Eliot was just voted the "Best Intimate Hotel" by the Boston Magazine
and its new restaurant Clio received the "Best New Restaurant" award. It
has Deluxe Guest Rooms and One & Two bedroom Suites with living rooms,
bedrooms, and mini bars. I especially enjoyed the "welcome to our hotel
chocolate chip cookies", chocolates on the pillows at night, and the "elevator
man" which delivers you to your floor with great flourish!

The rooms have every amenity - robes, hairdryer, TV, toiletries, two
telephone lines (modem compatible) and a fax machine for the busy executive.
I did miss having a coffee pot, but the restaurant has breakfast service
and Starbucks is only a block away down Newbury Street. Our room had a
large living room separated from the bedroom with a pair of french doors.

Rates are from $175 to $450 per night; for more information, call (617)
267-1607 or (800) 44-ELIOT, FAX (617) 536-9114, or visit their web site
at www.bostbest.com.

BOSTON - THINGS TO DO, SEE, AND PLACES TO EAT

The first night, we ate at Legal Seafoods, a Boston traditional seafood
restaurant, and enjoyed 1 1/2 pound lobsters at $32 a plate. You can find
out more at their web site www.legalseafoods.com

The next day, we discovered Samuel Adam's Brewhouse near the Lenox Hotel
and loved the special Octoberfest beer and sampler of four different kinds
for $5. For $4.95, one can have "Brat ‘n Beer" which includes a side of
french fries - almost a full meal and the sausage is delicious! While we
drank and dined window side, we noticed very odd and colorful motorized
vehicles passing by... each with a prop hanging out the back! Our daughter
explained that it was the popular "Boston Duck Tours" using W.W.II amphibious
open-air troop carriers which leave from Prudential Center and take visitors
on a historical city tour, then drive right into the Charles river for
a boat float to see the Boston skyline!

Looks like great fun, but alas, we won’t have time this trip. Fees for
the 80 minute ride/float are $12 for children and $19 for adults. For more
information, call (617) 723-DUCK or visit their web site at www.bostonducktours.com

Speaking of amphibious, the next day, we meandered down to the Aquarium
which features 3 story 40’ diameter tank full of tropical fish, turtles,
rays, and sharks. Whale watchers can leave on boats from a nearby pier
and our daughter raved about the 5-6 hour voyage to see the gentle giants.
You can find lots of Information at www.neaq.org

We then wandered over to Faneuil Hall and ate at Durgin-Park restaurant
- a wonderful old institution which has been serving food to hungry Bostonians
and visitors for more than a century! We were delighted to find a $9.95
1 pound lobster special downstairs in the bar (a mere $14.95 upstairs)
which proved to be as good as the one at Legal Seafoods! The lobster came
with a side of mashed, baked, fried potatoes, or Boston Beans. The web
site is at www.durginpark.com

While on the Harvard campus, our daughter took us to Sunday brunch at
Grendel’s Den Restaurant and Bar - a cozy place with fresh salads, fondues,
seafood, veggie dishes, and sandwiches. The desserts all looked good and
we had a hard time deciding which to choose.

We visited the incredible "Glass Flower" collections at the Botanical
Museum, Harvard University. Over 3,000 replicas of plant species were made
by a father and son glass artisans team from 1887 through 1936 as a clever
and brilliant way to display anatomical sections of flowers. In the
19th century, when this project was begun, botanists had no easy way to
preserve plants other than making crude wax or paper-mache models. The
glass flowers are still used by students for study and are one of the most
popular exhibits at Harvard. The photo below was taken through a glass
cover and shows details of the realistic models.

Several of the works feature glass bees pollinating the flowers. More
information can be found at The
Botanical Museum web site and a comprehensive book can be ordered from
the book shop.

We visited many of Boston’s department stores and shops, but found Filene’s
Basement an absolute riot full of clothing at super cheap prices. Since
daddy had his credit card handy, our daughter found a wonderful suede coat
at 1/3 the price of anywhere else. We fought our way out of the store and
were quite pleased with her purchase.

Each evening, we wandered down Newbury street in search of great dessert
places and found many from which to choose.

All in all, our visit to Boston was great fun, as it always is. First
visitors to the city should read through www.boston.com
to get lots of ideas of things to see and do.

BOSTON to CHICAGO via AMERICAN AIRLINES

We flew from Boston to Chicago on a $99 American Airlines fare and took
a $30 taxi to the Summerfield Suites, formerly the Barkley Hotel at 166
East Superior Street - one block off Michigan Avenue’s "Magnificent Mile"
and right behind Neiman Marcus - a convenient location.

Our daughter was doing her masters at the Art Institute and for $1.50
each, we could hop the Michigan Avenue Bus 151 to easily reach the school
and museum, or more shopping located in the loop, such as Marshall Fields
main store with 6 large-enough-to-get-lost floors.

The Summerfield Suites Hotel offers plenty of space and amenities at
good value. Guests can choose between three floor plans - a Studio Suite
(415 sq. ft.) which has a large bedroom with an adjoining living area at
one end plus a wet bar and microwave, or an Executive Parlor Suite (505
sq. ft.) which has a bedroom flowing into a large living room area and
full kitchen, or a 710 sq. ft. One-Bedroom Suite with separate bedroom,
living room, full kitchen, and dining area. Each suite has an ample bathroom,
closet, TV, modem compatible phone, microwaves, coffee pot, hair dryer,
iron, and ironing board, plus a sleeper sofa. Rates range from $179.00
to $329.00 and include a full buffet breakfast. Guests will find a USA
TODAY newspaper delivered to their doorstep each morning. A small convenience
store, open 24 hours a day, is located on the first floor, and a cozy book-filled
lounge is down a spiral stairway from the lobby. The hotel also has an
exercise room, rooftop pool, and game room.

Our room had a full mini-kitchen with a bar counter top and two chairs
for eating, large living room with TV, sofa, and two comfortable lounge
chairs, big closet, bathroom, and bedroom with queen bed. Quite perfect
for the two of us and I had lots of room to spread out my "traveling office"
of laptop, brochures, and city guides! I visited with several families
staying in the hotel and they too were delighted with the spacious suites.
For more information, call (312) 787-6000 or (800) 833-4353 or FAX (312)
787-6133.

The hotel has lots of restaurants nearby - Benehana’s is next door,
as is Gino’s of Chicago Pizzas. Eli’s Place for Steaks is nearby as is
the Red Rock Grill serving Texas and Southwestern cuisine. We tried them
all and found them quite good.

Eli’s at 215 East Chicago Avenue served an excellent chateaubriand with
a luscious array of fresh vegetables on the side; they are famous for their
cheesecakes and ship them anywhere in the world.

We were in Chicago when the Art Institute's special exhibition of Renoir’s
Portraits opened to the public just the day before. We arrived at 10:00,
30 minutes before the doors opened. The exhibit is $7 per person and well
worth seeing - portraits were brought from many other galleries and private
collections to be included in this outstanding showing. We spent extra
time going through the wonderful "regular" exhibits and I always enjoy
seeing the "American Gothic" original, along with other fabulous collections.
Don’t miss a visit to the Art
Institute on your next trip to Chicago and allow at least a 1/2 day,
if not a full day to enjoy it all.

The Russian Tea Time restaurant is a 1/2 block away from the Art Institute
and has a large selection of Russian and Eastern European cuisine. It was
voted one of the Top 10 in U.S. by the Vegetarian Journal. We ate there
several years ago right after it had opened and found the food better than
ever on this visit. My husband had Classic Chicken Kiev while I enjoyed
the Classic Beef Stroganoff. Our daughter, a vegetarian, loved the Mugn
Bean and Vegetable Stew. They are located at 77 East Adams; call for reservations
at (312) 360-0000.

After lunch, we shopped at Carson, Pirie, & Scott’s large department
store and found wonderful selections of name brand clothing at good prices
and special sales.

We then made a quick stop at Fannie Mae’s for a bag of yummy chocolates,
and at Mrs. Fielding's Cookies ... two great places to satisfy a sweet
tooth!

====================================P.S. It was too cold in Boston and Chicago to dive!